USA > New York > Columbia County > History of Columbia County, New York. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 44
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located in Columbia street, was built in 1814, and was first put in blast by Timothy Kellogg and - Briggs. Then, and for many years thereafter, it was the only foundry on the river between New York and Albany. Its business was the manufacture of stoves and agricultural castings ; and the business of a machine-shop seems to have been con- nected with it, to some extent, from the first, forin 1815, Messrs. Kellogg & Briggs advertised the manufacture of fanning-mills. In 1816 it was advertised as the " Hudson Air Furnace," and carried on by John Adams, as agent. Afterwards it passed into the hands of Starbuck & Gifford, then to Elihu Gifford. The business has since that time been carried on by different members of the family, and is now known as
THE HUDSON FOUNDRY AND MACHINE-SIIOP,
under the proprietorship of Gifford Brothers, at 31 Colum- bia street. The works cover about three acres of ground, and are supplied with all the fixtures and equipment usually found in similar establishments. They manufacture agri- cultural implements, steam-engines, and machinery in gen- eral. The Capron turbine water-wheel is also a specialty of their manufacture.
THE HUDSON IRON COMPANY
was organized in 1848, under the general manufacturers'
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
law, as a stock company, with $175,000 capital, which, at different times, has been increased until it now amounts to $375,375.
The works were originally designed by Charles C. Alger. The first trustees were Alexander C. Mitchell, Elihu Gif- ford, Charles C. Alger, Charles MeArthur, and Samuel Green, and at their first meeting Alexander C. Mitehell was elected president ; Sidney Seymour, secretary and trea- surer. The works were commenced in 1850, and finished in 1851, the first blast being put on November 28 of the latter year. The buildings altogether cover about two aeres of ground, and are conveniently located on the river, near the tracks of the New York Central and Hudson River railroad, affording excellent shipping facilities by rail or boat. The company erected two stacks or furnaces, each fifteen feet in diameter at the boshes, and forty-seven feet high, the blast being furnished by a vertical condensing steam-engine of nearly four hundred horse-power. One hundred men are employed about the works, and 45,000 tons of ore, 35,000 tons of anthracite coal, and 12,000 tons of limestone are annually consumed, producing 22,000 tons of pig-iron.
The company own an extensive and valuable ore-bed, located at West Stockbridge, Mass., ealled the " C. Lee Ore-bed," from which they obtain the hematitic ore used at their works. The magnetic ore used is brought from Lake Champlain.
In the construction of these works the furnaces were originally set upon piles in the South bay. The company purchased about ninety acres of the bay, and, by filling in with the debris and cinders from the furnaces, have re- claimed some ten or twelve acres, on which other manufac- tories have since been erected.
The president of the company for several years past, and at the present time, is Jacob W. Hoysradt, who has also been the general agent sinee 1864. The secretary and treasurer is Sidney Seymour, who has held those offices continuously since the organization,-a period of twenty- nine years.
HUNT & MILLER'S STOVE-FOUNDRY
was originated by Charles McArthur, and has been in operation for many years. Under his management the business rapidly increased and the reputation of the works became thoroughly established. Upon his decease the foundry became the property of Messrs. Hunt, Holmes & Co., who maintained its reputation. It subsequently be- came the property of the present owners, Messrs. Hunt & Miller. The foundry is situated on Water street, opposite the Hudson River Railroad depot.
THE COLUMBIA COUNTY IRON COMPANY
was incorporated under the general statute, July 20, 1857, as a stock company, with $750,000 capital, in shares of $100 each. There were fifty-one stockholders.
The furnace was erected on Water street, near the river, and the first blast was made in December, 1858. This company continued to run the furnace until the latter part of June, 1859, when they stopped work, and the furnace lay idle till April, 1861. At that time it was again started,
by L. C. Winslow & Co., and run by them till Dec. 1, 1863, when John A. Griswold & Co., having purchased a majority of the stock, leased the works of the Columbia Iron Company, and ran them in connection with their works in Troy. March 1, 1874, the works were purchased by the Albany & Rensselaer Iron and Steel Company, who are the present owners. Of this company Erastus Corning is president ; Chester Griswold, vice-president; Selden E. Marvin, secretary and treasurer ; James E. Walker, general manager ; J. M. Pearson, superintendent.
The ore used at this furnace is brought by rail from various points, principally in Clinton and Dutchess counties, and about 23,000 tons are annually consumed, making 10,000 tons of pig-iron of a prime quality, all of which is shipped to Troy, and used at the " Bessemer Steel-Works" of the company located in that city ; 20,000 tons of coal and 6000 tons of limestone are also used yearly.
THE CLAPP & JONES MANUFACTURING COMPANY
was organized Dec. 15, 1869, and incorporated on the 27th of the same month. It is a stock company, with a paid-up cash capital of $100,000, and is engaged in the manufacture of the celebrated " Champion Steam Fire-Engine," which has attained a high reputation, and has repeatedly taken the first premium at the fairs where it has been exhibited. The invention is covered by letters patent, and improvements are being constantly made. Mr. M. R. Clapp, to whose genius the invention is due, has been the superintendent of the works from the commencement. The manufacture of this engine was begun in New York, in 1866, and this place was selected for the location of the shop when, in view of the popularity and increased demand for them, it became necessary to increase the facilities for their manufacture. The shop is located near the river, on lands reclaimed from the South bay, and was built in the spring of 1870, the first engine being finished in June of that year. The works employ about one hundred men, and possess facilities for the manufacture of forty engines per year, with their accompany- ing trucks, hose-carts, etc. A thirty-horse steam-engine furnishes the motive-power. All the work, even to making the brass castings for the engines, is done at this shop. Average wages paid, two dollars and twenty-five cents. Upon the organization of the company, Jacob W. Hoysradt. was elected president ; S. R. Rainey, secretary ; and M. R. Clapp, superintendent. These gentlemen still hold the same positions in the company.
THE PHILIPS SPIRAL CORN-HUSKER COMPANY
was incorporated January 23, 1871, with a capital of $100,000; the life of the corporation to be fifty years. There were thirteen corporators, of whom Allen Rossman, Peter Philips, David Crapser, Peter S. Pulver, Tobias New, Leonard Miller, and Rensselaer Reynolds formed the first board of trustees. George B. Fairfield is the present presi- dent, and C. H. Malleson secretary and treasurer of the company.
THE HUDSON PAPER CAR-WHEEL COMPANY
is the successor of the " American Paper Car-Wheel Manu- facturing Company," which was incorporated in the year
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
1873, with a capital of $50,000, to engage in the manufac- ture of car-wheels under the Allen patent. They erected a brick building two stories high, the main part of which is forty feet wide and one hundred and fifty feet long, with a wing containing the engine and drying rooms, and also, in the rear of this, a foundry fifty by sixty feet in size. A steam-engine of forty horse-power, a hydraulic press, lathes, drills, etc., were put in to fit the shop for use. All this machinery is of the best quality and most finished work- manship.
In 1877 the company was reorganized under the title of the " Hudson Paper Car-Wheel Company," with the follow- ing officers, who still hold their respective positions, viz., John E. Gillette, president; F. F. Folger, vice-president ; R. N. Allen, superintendent ; Peter Miller, secretary.
The importance of securing a strong and durable, yet light and economical car-wheel has always been realized by competent railroad managers from the first introduction of the present system of transportation. The common chilled iron wheel is objectionable both because of its liability to break and its limited service. A number of wheels with a steel tire and various fillings have been invented, but all have proved more or less defective. Mr. R. N. Allen, hav- ing given the subject his attention, was impressed with the idea that paper-that wonderfully adaptable substance --- could be made to give body, elasticity, and strength to car- wheels. He therefore, after demonstrating the truth of his theory by experimental tests, patented the paper car-wheel. That these wheels combine the essential elements has been practically demonstrated by their use under Pullman sleep- ing and hotel-cars between Chicago and other western cities and New York. These first wheels in use made a mileage of three hundred thousand miles. As now manu- factured the wheel consists of three parts: a steel tire, a paper body or filling, and a cast-iron hub. The paper disk or body is built up of successive layers of straw-board, pasted together, and then pressed into a hard mass, resembling wood, which is thoroughly dried, turned to fit accurately the tire and hub, rendered water-proof by painting, and then with the other parts forced together under hydraulic press- ure. The disk is then inelosed between two wrought-iron plates held together by two cireles of bolts, one passing through the flange of the hub, and the other through a flange or web on the inner circumference of the tire, thus firmly securing all the parts. The works now employ thirty hands, and turn out about ten wheels per day.
The Metropolitan Elevated railway, of New York, is entirely equipped with these wheels, and many of the im- portant railroads of the country are using them to some extent.
C. H. EVANS & CO.'S BREWERY
is located on Mill street, near North bay, and the buildings cover an area of about three acres. It is under the per- sonal management of Mr. Evans, and no pains are spared to make the product of this brewery rank with the best in the country. By means of improved machinery, improved processes of malting and brewing, care in selecting the best barley and hops, and by the employment of skillful and experienced hands, an ale has been produced that has be- come exceedingly popular, and meets with an extended and
ready sale. The motive-power is furnished by a steam- engine of forty-five horse-power. The water used is brought through pipes from a fine spring about a quarter of a mile distant. The annual product is about 50,000 barrels of " Evans' Ale," in the manufacture of which 100,000 bushels of barley and 150,000 pounds of hops are consumed, and about fifty men are employed in the work.
In addition to the malt-house at the brewery, the com- pany has another large one on State street, with a capacity of 30,000 bushels ; and besides the malt produced in these two houses, they purchase large quantities of grain malted ready for use.
Under the State street malt-house is an extensive cellar and sub-cellar, with massive brick and stone arches, and furnishing ample room for the storing of 6000 barrels. The company also owns a store at 127 Hudson street, New York, which is five stories high, and furnished with a large cellar for storing ale during the hot season.
This business was first established by George Robinson, about 1820-22, and was conducted by him until 1856, when it was sold to Robert W. Evans, the father of the present head of the firm. In 1868, Mr. Phipps purchased . an interest in the business, forming the firm of Phipps & Evans, who ran the brewery until 1873, when the firm again changed, and became as at present. -
WATERBURY & PEABODY'S BREWERY
was also started by George Robinson, and probably several years before that of Evans & Co. The owners succeeding him have been Benjamin R. Millard, Millard & Barnard, Millard & Waterbury, Waterbury & Martin, and Waterbury & Peabody, the present proprietors. The building, which is one hundred and twenty by one hundred and fifty feet in size, is situated on North Second street. Its power is fur- nished by a twenty-five horse-power steam-engine, and fif- teen men are employed in the manufacture of the ale known as " Present Use," of which about 16,000 barrels are pro- duced annually.
Brewing and distilling were among the earliest of the industries of Hudson, and the first establishments in this line have already been mentioned on another page.
TRAVER'S SASH, BLIND, AND DOOR FACTORY
is located on the corner of North Fourth and Diamond streets, and is owned by William I. and Williau: HI. Traver, under the firm-name of William I. Traver & Son.
The business was first started as a carriage-shop, in 1842, by William I. Traver. In 1851 he opened a lumber-yard in connection, and in 1863 built the present shop, and entered upon the present business. The motive-power is an eighty-horse engine. Connected with the shop is a drying-house, of capacity for drying 25,000 feet of lumber at once. The firm employ from thirty-five to fifty hands, and, when putting in their annual stock of from $50,000 to $75,000 worth of lumber, they furnish temporary em- ployment to many others.
HERBS' TOBACCO-FACTORY
is situated on Prospect avenue, near Warren street. The business was commenced by the present proprietors, Messrs.
Photo, by F. Forshew, Hudson.
HON. CHARLES L. BEALE.
Charles L. Beale was born on the 5th of March, 1824, in the town of Canaan, Columbia county, New York. His paternal ancestora, consisting of two brothers by the name of Beale, came originally from England; one of them settled in western Massachusetts, whence he subsequently removed to Connecticut; the other in Westmoreland county, Virginia, at a place named Bealeton, after the family. He became the head of the Beale family of the south, and the ancestor of General Beale, who, while lieutenant, became noted as an explorer in connection with the United States survey, and owned extensive tracts of land in California. General Beale was late minister pleni- potentiary to the court of Vienna.
Captain Lewis Beale, the paternal grandfather of Charles L. Beale, was a resident of Danbury, Connecticut, where his ancestors had settled in the early days of that colony. He served as captain in the Revolutionary war, and General Wooster, who was shot during Governor Tryon's retreat from Danbury, fell from his horse into his arms. He removed to the State of New York, and settled at North East, in Dutchess county, in 1794. At this place Chester Beale, the father of Charles L. Beale, was born, in 1796, whence he removed to Austerlitz, Columbia county, in 1804, being eight years of age. He graduated at Union College in 1815, studied law with Elisha Williams in the city of Hudson, was admitted to practice in 1818, and married the same year. While in college he held the military rank of captain. Before his graduation he was drafted to serve in the War of 1812-14, and with the militia marched in the expedition to Sacket's Harbor. He returned and finished his college course, graduating in 1815. He married Clarissa Wainwright, of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, who was a cousin of Rt. Rev. Jonathan Wainwright, formerly bishop of the diocese of New York, and reared a family of four children, of whom Charles L. Beale was the third. Three of them only survive at this writing, viz., Charles L., Sidney C., and Frances L., a maiden sister.
Charles L. Beale was brought up on a farm in the town of Canaan, and fitted for college under Captain Ashley, a graduate of West Point, who, after serving in the army and being promoted, became principal of an academy in Canaan. He was a thorough teacher and of ex- cellent character, whose system of educating boys was derived from the method pursued at West Point. With this preparation he entered the junior class of Union College in September, 1842, and graduated in July, 1844. He immediately commenced the study of law in the office of Toby & Reynolds, at Kinderhook, and was admitted to practice in September, 1849. Entering upon his practice in Canaan, Columbia county, New York, where he remained till 1852, he removed thence to Kinderhook, and formed a copartnership with the late David Van Schaack, with whom he remained in practice till May, 1866. He then removed his office to the city of Hudson, and asso- ciated with him in professional business Mark Duntz, his present partner. Mr. Beale was married at Kinderhook, on the 16th of August, 1855, to Mrs. Catharine Baldwin, widowed daughter of Asaph Wilder, Esq., of Kinderhook. In his political affiliations he was for- merly a Democrat, but since 1855 he has been either Independent or Republican in hia preferences, being an earnest politician, and for a portion of his life an unusually effective campaign speaker.
In 1855 he ran as an independent candidate for county judge, and made a very creditable campaign, being defeated by only a few votes by Judge Peck, the Democratic nominee. In 1858 he was nominated on the Republican ticket for Congress, and was elected by about two thousand five hundred majority. He served in the Thirty - sixth Congress till the 4th of March, 1861, during that exciting period when treason was rampant at the national capital, and southern States seceding from the Union.
After his return, in the summer of 1861, he was commissioned colonel of the Ninety-third Regimeut of New York Volunteers, but on account of ill health was incapacitated for taking the field.
In 1864 he was chosen presidential elector, and cast his vote for Mr. Lincoln for his second term of the presidency.
In May, 1867, he was appointed register in bankruptcy, which position he holds at the present time.
The great affliction of his life fell upon him in 1871, in the loss of his beloved wife, who left three children for him to rear without the care and companionship of a mother. He has one son, an under- graduate at Harvard University, and two daughters, the elder of whom is a graduate of St. Agnes Diocesan School, at Albany, and the younger a pupil in the same institution.
As an advocate, Mr. Beale justly holds a very high place. His learning, knowledge of history, law, and politics, his remarkable command of language, and his earnest, animated gestures, all con- spire to render him one of the most eloquent speakers at the bar, especially when some great occasion calla forth all his powers as an orator. Many such important occasions have occurred during his professional career, when he has been retained as counsel in difficult and noted casea, such, for example, as the trial of Ruloff for murder, at Binghamton, in 1871. Hle was in this cause senior counsel for the defense. The reporter of the trial says :
" Mr. Beale came into the Ruloff case at a late hour, and con- tributed, with his great ability, all that could possibly be done to stem the tide of conviction which settled so fast and so surely around his unfortunate client. His effort was the brave, forlorn hope of the mariner at sea, in a leaky vessel, with the night and the tempest closing around him. Long will every soul in that court-room, cruwded almost to suffocation, remember the closing appeal of Mr. Beale to the jury in this case, when for four mortal hours he stood up there and held the court, the jury, and vast audience spell-bound, as it were, with his magnetic eloquence. It was only equaled, it was never excelled, by Sergeant S. Prentiss. It carried us back to the halcyon days of that superb orator, during ' the flush times of Mississippi.' A man of fair abilities can, with great industry, make himself a good lawyer, but true, genuine eloquence must be born in him; he cannot acquire it, and nature is not lavish in ber gifts."
Those best acquainted with the character and reputation of Mr. Beale as a forensic orator and advocate, will not regard the above extract as extravagant, but will consider the statement as a fair illustration, out of many others that might he given, of his well-known abilities as a public speaker.
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.
F. & M. Herbs & Bro., in the summer of 1875. Their factory building (forty by fifty feet, and four stories high) was commenced in August of that year, and was completed, fitted with machinery, and occupied by the business May 1, 1876. The power is a fifteen-horse steam-engine. The raw tobacco is brought from Kentucky in hogsheads hold- ing from 1200 pounds to 2000 pounds each, and about seventy-five of these furnish a year's supply of stock. The annual sales amount to about 120,000 pounds, and the revenue paid to the government is about $3000 per month. The company also own a store at No. 338 Warren street, in the rear of which is their cigar-factory, which turns out from 85,000 to 90,000 cigars each month. Employment is furnished to about thirty-five men and boys.
THE HUDSON KNITTING-MILL
was established about 1872, by George B. McCready, at the corner of Water and Ferry streets. Here he entered upon the manufacture of knit goods of all descriptions. In 1875 he sold to N. T. Kane, who, in October, 1877, sold to J. E. McLaughlin & Co., the present owners. The mill is what is known as a " two-set mill," containing two sets of cards, and other machinery in proportion. The power used is furnished by a twelve horse-power steam-engine, and the business employs from thirty to thirty-five hands, the annual product amounting to from $40,000 to $50,000.
CLARK'S CLOTHING-FACTORY,
an establishment whose business was the manufacture of clothing for the southern (particularly the New Orleans) market, was in very successful operation, at the southeast corner of Warren and Fourth streets, about twenty years ago. In the year 1858 its business amounted to $130,000. It was extinguished by the War of the Rebellion.
THE HUDSON GAS COMPANY
was organized in 1850 as a stock company, with a capital of $50,000. The works were commenced immediately, and in the fall of the same year the company furnished gas for lighting the streets of Hudson. The first stock- holders were O. Bronson, president; J. W. Fairfield, sec- retary, treasurer, and superintendent ; George H. Power, and Charles Roome; all of whom were directors. The present board of directors are Charles H. Stott, president ; Jacob W. Hoysradt, vice-president ; George B. Fairfield, secretary, treasurer, and superintendent ; Samuel T. Du Bois, Charles Roome, Willard Bronson.
The works (located on Water street, near those of the Columbia County Iron Company ) have a capacity sufficient to supply a population of fifteen thousand. The capital of the company remains unchanged since the organization.
STEAMBOAT COMPANIES.
NEW YORK AND HUDSON STEAMBOAT COMPANY.
This company is the lineal successor of the firm estab- lished in 1818 by Captain Judah Paddock, for the purpose of doing a general freighting business between Hudson and New York. The business of this firm was done wholly by sailing-vessels, for at that time and for several years there- after no steamer had been owned at the port of Hudson.
Captain Paddock died in 1823, but the business being profitable, was continued. Its management was chiefly in the hands of Captain John Power,* though Samuel Cole- man was a principal owner. Seven years after Captain Paddock's death the business was merged in that of the Hudson Tow-boat Company, which was formed in 1830, with Captain Power as their agent and manager, in which position he continued until 1836.
The first steamboat of the company was the " Legis- lator." In the Rural Repository of June 4, 1831, is found an allusion to the company and their business as follows : " A tow-boat company has been formed for the purpose of carrying the produce of the country to New York, and merchandise from thence to this city and country. The company own a powerful steamboat, and two bargest of three hundred tons each, fitted up in good style for passen- gers as well as freight. These boats alternately leave Hud- son and New York once a week, and perform the distance of one hundred and thirty miles in fourteen hours."
Iu 1833 the company advertised that the " Legislator" would make tri-weekly trips to New York, and that Barge No. 1, Captain Peter G. Coffin, and Barge No. 2, Captain John T. Haviland, Jr., would make weekly trips in her tow; and that " the barges will at all times be open for the accommodation of boarders in New York, as heretofore. Towing will be taken by the ' Legislator' if required." At the end of three years the company declared a dividend of ninety per cent., and two years later a second dividend of thirty per cent.
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